English Idioms

English Idioms

A big fish in a small pond: a person seen as important, but within a small environmentA finger in every pie: be involved in or influence many different activitiesA foot in the door: do a small thing to create an opportunity in the futureA card up your sleeve: have a reserve plan or secret advantageA cock and bull story: a story or explanation which is obviously untrueA cold call: an unexpected call or visitA hard nut to crack: a difficult problem to solveA hatchet job: making strong and unfair criticism of somethingA finger on the pulse: keep up to date with recent developmentsA fish out of water: feel awkward because you are not familiar with a situationA fly on the wall: an unnoticed observer of another situationA glass ceiling: unacknowledged limitation on promotion at workA knee-jerk reaction: an instinctive response to somethingA moveable feast: an event where the time and/or date can be changedA piece of cake: something easily achievedA shot in the arm: give encouragement/boost moraleA spanner in the works: prevent something being achievedA square peg in a round hole: a person in a situation unsuited to their abilities or characterA sting in the tail: an unpleasant end to something that began wellA storm in a teacup: an overreaction to something unimportantA thorn in someone’s side: a source of continuous annoyance or troubleAn uphill struggle: a difficult situation because something/someone is causing you problemsAdd fuel to the fire: make an argument or bad situation worseAt the sharp end: the most challenging part of an activity

Back to square one: start again from the beginningBang your head against a brick wall: keep trying to solve a problem and being unsuccessfulBend over backwards: make a special effort to do somethingBend someone’s ear: question someone in detail about somethingBetween a rock and a hard place: having to make a choice between two unpleasant optionsBite someone’s head off: react angrily to someoneBite the bullet: make yourself do or accept something difficult or unpleasantBite your tongue: stop yourself saying something inappropriateBlow the whistle: report something negative so that it can be stoppedBreak the ice: help people feel more relaxed with each otherBreathe down someone’s neck: irritate someone by checking constantly what they are doingBury your head in the sand: refuse to think about or deal with a situation

Cut corners: do things the easiest, quickest or cheapest way

Dig your heels in: be stubborn/refuse to give inDoesn’t hold water: something that can be proved to be wrongDrag your heels: deal with something slowly, because you don’t want to do itDraw a line under it: finish talking about a topic and not refer to it againDraw the line: put a limit on something because you think it is wrongDrive someone up the wall: make someone very angry or irritated

Eat humble pie: admit you are wrong and apologizeEat your words: admit that something you said was wrong

Feather your (own) nest: make money at the expense of other peopleFly by the seat of your pants: make decisions as you go along, without a planFrom the horse’s mouth: information obtained from the person directly concernedFrom the frying pan into the fire: move from a bad situation to a worse one

Get to grips with something: start to deal with a difficult job or situationGet your wires crossed: misunderstand somethingGo down like a lead balloon: a comment or suggestion which is not received wellGo overboard: too eager, do more than is necessaryGrasp the nettle: take immediate action to deal with something difficult

Have a bee in your bonnet: preoccupied or obsessed with a particular ideaHave a bone to pick: discuss something which has annoyed youHave/get your ducks in a row: have your priorities in the right orderHave egg on your face: be embarrassed because of something stupid you have doneHeads will roll: people will be punished for a mistake madeHear something on the grapevine: discover something by rumour or unofficial sourceHit the buffers: a plan which fails to develop, or is stoppedHit the jackpot: have an unexpected success, often financialHit the nail on the head: describe exactly what is causing a problem or situationHot under the collar: angry, resentful or tense

In at the deep end: facing a problem without enough experienceIn hot water: in trouble or in a difficult situationIn the driving seat: in control of somethingIn the hot seat: be the focus of attentionIn the loop: be kept fully informed about developmentsIron/smooth something out: resolve minor difficultiesIt’s in the bag: something that will definitely be achieved

Lay your cards on the table: be completely honest about your intentionsLeft high and dry: put in a difficult situationLet sleeping dogs lie: warn someone not to talk about a negative situation from the pastLet the cat out of the bag: carelessly reveal secret informationLose the thread: be unable to follow what is being said or done

Make a mountain out of a molehill: make a minor difficulty seem like a major oneMoney for old rope: an easy way of acquiring money without much effortMove the goalposts: change the rules unfairly

Nail/pin someone down: make another person deal with an issueNip it in the bud: stop a problem at an early stage

Off the hook: escape from a difficult situation or problemOff the record: saying something you do not want to be publicly knownOn the tip of your tongue: almost but not quite able to remember somethingOpen a can of worms: reveal something which will cause trouble or embarrassment

Paint yourself into a corner: do something which puts you in an awkward situationPie in the sky: something you hope will be achieved, but is unlikely to bePick someone’s brains: ask for advice from someone more knowledgeablePlay/keep your cards close to your chest: not tell anyone what your plans arePour/throw cold water over something: be critical of or negative about somethingPull strings: use your influence to someone’s advantagePull the plug: put a stop to somethingPull the wool over someone’s eyes: deceive someone to prevent them knowing the truthPush the envelope: extend the limits of performancePut all your eggs in one basket: risk losing everything by limiting your optionsPut out feelers: make informal enquiries to discover people’s opinionsPut the cart before the horse: have your priorities the wrong way roundPut your foot in it: accidentally say or do something which causes upset or embarrassment

Rise to the bait: react to something in the way that another person wantedRuffle someone’s feathers: make someone angry or annoyedRun it up the flagpole: tell people about an idea to get their opinion

Scrape the barrel: use something of poor quality because there is no choiceShoot your mouth off: talk too much or indiscreetlySing from the same song sheet: present a united frontSkate on thin ice: take a big riskSpill the beans: reveal a secret or the truth about somethingStep out of line: behave inappropriatelyStick your neck out: give an opinion which may not be popularStick/poke your nose in: show too much interest in something that does not involve youStick to your guns: refuse to change or modify your ideasStrike while the iron is hot: act quickly on a good opportunitySwallow a bitter pill: accept an unpleasant or painful necessitySweep something under the carpet: hide a problem in the hope that it will be forgotten

Take the floor: when someone speaks at a conference or meetingTake a leaf out of someone’s book: copy someone’s good exampleThe ball is in someone’s court: making someone else the first to take responsibilityThe balloon’s gone up: something becomes very serious or unpleasantThe gloves are off: something will be resolved in an unpleasant wayThe last straw: a final, extra difficulty, which makes a situation impossibleThe penny has dropped: eventually understand somethingThe thin end of the wedge: the start of a bigger, more harmful developmentThe wrong end of the stick: misunderstand a situationThrow the baby out with the bathwater: get rid of good as well as bad parts of somethingTie yourself in knots: become very confused when you try to explain somethingTwo bites of/at the cherry: have a second opportunity to do somethingTurn up the heat: intensify pressure on a person or situation

Water under the bridge: past event which is no longer worth consideringWater off a duck’s back: criticism which has no effect on somebodyWet behind the ears: someone with a lack of experienceWide of the mark: be wrong about something